Associated Student Government presidential slate Teresa Vergara Miranda and Daniel Rodriguez dropped out of the uncontested 2021 executive election cycle Monday.

“We have decided to exit the race as a team,” Vergara Miranda told The Daily in a Tuesday email. “We wish the best of luck to those stepping up to these positions, and we offer our guidance and time to those who would like to collaborate on ideas and solutions for Northwestern students.”

ASG Election Commissioner Donovan Cusick said he received notice Monday afternoon from Vergara Miranda. The decision to end their campaign comes after unprecedented changes to the election cycle timeline.

On April 15, an emergency ASG session resulted in a Senate vote delaying the election period by two weeks and accepting new candidates until this Friday. The Senate also passed an amendment allowing candidates to ask for signatures through private and group messages, which Cusick said at the time was an opportunity to expand outreach to the student body.

“This year will have a big impact on the way elections look in the future,” Cusick said Monday. “I think the Election Commission and ASG as a whole are going to try and do a better job putting effort into the election and making it known, publicizing it (and) getting the word out there to hopefully get people more involved.”

At the April 15 meeting, Analytics Chair Joe Maino and Chinese Students Association Senator Cindy Shou confirmed their re-entry into the presidential race, having previously dropped out before the official campaign period began.

Maino and Shou withdrew their candidacy by the end of Thursday’s session — but Cusick clarified that at the time of the emergency meeting, the Maino-Shou slate was technically in the running for president and vice president alongside Vergara Miranda and Rodriguez.

In total, two slates have already dropped out of this year’s election before the campaign window closes — with no candidates currently in the running and a deadline to announce campaigns looming at the end of the week.

“This is a hard year for people, and I think that everybody’s perhaps a little worn out,” Cusick said. “With all of the changes and schedules, with the amendment — everything has just kind of been off-balance. Because of that, I think that (there are) some people that are a bit more reluctant to get in (the race).”

Cusick said the Election Commission typically revises the code every year, so he wouldn’t be surprised at opportunities for further revisions. The developments of this election cycle have given ASG time to reflect on the way elections are run, he added.

Currently, the voting period for ASG’s elections will begin April 29 and end May 1.

“Hopefully, since the amendments have changed, there will be some people who are able to see it as a new opportunity and step up and get involved,” Cusick said. “I think you’ll be able to see the effect of this (election cycle) years down the road.”

Yunkyo Kim contributed reporting.

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